DOJ

The Curious Case of MegaUpload

The timing was certainly interesting: almost immediately after Congress announced that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT-IP Act (PIPA) had been temporarily tabled, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI seized MegaUpload — one of the world’s most popular “locker-and-links” services.

Future of Music Coalition Welcomes States' Decision to Oppose AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

September 16, 2011

Washington, D.C.— Today, the Attorneys General of seven U.S. states joined a Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust suit aimed at preventing the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile.

AT&T previously sought government approval to acquire T-Mobile, which, had it been approved, would have seen a single company control nearly half of the wireless market in the United States. Future of Music Coalition (FMC) joins a diverse array of artists, organizations and individuals in supporting the DOJ’s decision to block the merger, and applauds the Attorneys General of New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania in signing on to the DOJ suit. read more

Markey Praises Justice Suit to Block AT&T-T-Mobile

By John Eggerton

Broadcasting & Cable

August 31, 2011

Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), one of the stronger congressional critics of the proposed AT&T-T-Mobile merger, lauded the Justice Department’s move Wednesday to block it, just one of many voices that were weighing in on the announced antitrust suit.

“The Justice Department’s decision to take action to block AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile is a victory for competition, consumers and choice. We should be protecting American consumers holding their cell phones, not just telecommunications titans holding stock in the companies,” he said in a statement. “The merger would reduce the number of national wireless companies from four down to three, sending the mobile marketplace into a telecommunications time machine back to 1993. That would be an historic mistake….” read more

Department of Justice Moves to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its intention to file suit to prevent the acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T. The following statement can be attributed to Future of Music Coalition Deputy Director Casey Rae-Hunter.

“Future of Music Coalition applauds the Department of Justice for moving to block the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. We hope the FCC swiftly follows suit to preserve access and innovation in mobile communications. From competition in a crucial marketplace to jobs preservation, preventing this merger is the right thing to do. Creators and consumers alike should welcome today’s news, and we thank those in the music community for helping to illustrate what is at stake for artists and other creative entrepreneurs.” read more

Ozomatli on the AT&T + T-Mobile Merger

Our friends Ozomatli, known for their eclectic, genre-bending sound and outspoken approach to civic engagement and activism, recently shared their thoughts on the AT&T-T-Mobile merger. Ozomatli are an LA-based band currently serving as U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors and artist advisors to FMC. The band will also be in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 25to play a can’t miss one-off show with the National Symphony Orchestra Pops at the Kennedy Center. read more

AT&T + T-Mobile Merger: a Bum Note for Musicians?

You may have heard about the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile, which would give the combined companies a 43 percent combined share of the mobile market. Were the deal to go through, AT&T and Verizon would control around 70 percent of the market for cell phone subscriptions. That’s a lot of power in not so many hands.

This merger is not just about phone service. Mobile handsets are fast becoming one of the main ways people connect to the internet, and this trend is only going to continue.

So why should musicians and music entrepreneurs care? Lots of reasons, actually. read more

Policy Mashup at SXSW

Wow. We just wrapped up a panel here at SXSW called Creative Capitol: Music, Culture and Policy Under Obama, and it was amazing. Here's what the roster looked like:

Michael Bracy Policy Director, Future of Music Coalition
Rachel Goslins Presidentâ€™s Committee on the Arts & Humanities
Austin Schlick General Counsel, Federal Communications Commission
Tim Tuten Hideout/Department of Education
Christine Varney Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Department of Justice

This panel of Beltway peeps covered a LOT of ground, from net neutrality and broadband expansion to music education to the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger to the Obama family's dancing chops. It would be impossible to do a full rundown, but you can check out our Twitter feed (hashtag #SXSW) for a realtime, 140-character play-by-play. read more

DOJ

The Curious Case of MegaUpload

Future of Music Coalition Welcomes States' Decision to Oppose AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Markey Praises Justice Suit to Block AT&T-T-Mobile

Department of Justice Moves to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Ozomatli on the AT&T + T-Mobile Merger

AT&T + T-Mobile Merger: a Bum Note for Musicians?

Policy Mashup at SXSW

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